


Living up to no one but myself

by Webtrinsic



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Bullying, Dead Parents, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Peter Needs a Hug, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2019-04-14 00:40:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14124396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Webtrinsic/pseuds/Webtrinsic
Summary: Peter's not a disappointment. Not to his long gone parents and certainly not to Tony Stark.Too bad Flash won't let him believe it. At least until Tony proves him wrong.





	Living up to no one but myself

When the teacher slid his test into his hand with a smile, Peter couldn't help but return it. He'd set the curve again and his stomach fluttered with butterflies. A pink hue flushed on his cheeks when he read _'Excellent job'_ written in red ink.

 The phone rang and the teacher excused herself, frowning when her normal phone also went off. Situating herself just outside the door, Flash took the time to stand and rip the test out of his hands. A hiss fell from his lips when the edges of the paper cut long lines across his palms.

 "How?" Flash shouted, looking to his own test. Needless to say, he'd only got around a C, and in fairness, it was a hard test.

 "May's gonna be so happy," Ned spoke up trying to ignore the bully.

 A soft breathy laugh fell from Peter's lips, "Yeah, I guess she will."

 "Who cares if your stupid Aunt is proud, oh wait. She's the only one who could be proud because you don't have any parents! And even they wouldn't be proud of someone like you," Flash was shouting now, towering over Peter in his seat.

 The class had fallen silent, staring in shock and utter hatred at their classmate. The young hero blanched, stood up and walked out of the room, passing his teacher who hadn't heard the commotion.

 Ned grabbed Peter's phone and backpack, ready to follow his friend. But the teacher didn't let him go, demanding to know what had happened to make her favorite student to just walk out without his things.

 The young hero left the campus, walking blankly the long way home. His throat felt tight, but Peter continued his walk home, using all his will not to cry.

 

\---

Ned pulled out his phone to let May know what had happened and what Flash had said. Luckily she'd gotten the day off and waited with bated breath for the door to open so she could help.

 It didn't take long for the teen to appear, eyes welling up with tears as soon as the door shut behind him. He Let out a sob when his Aunt's arms wrapped around him.

 The pair of Parkers held tight enough to bruise, May unable to hold back her own tears as she held her nephew to her chest. The sounds escaping the teen's throat were too much and the feeling in her legs was lost. They fell to their knees, weeping for those they'd lost.

 They didn't remember moving to May's bedroom, curling under the covers and hiding from the world. The teen pressing his face so hard against his aunt's collarbone she was sure it hurt.

 Peter's tears didn't lighten up, and May could see the tears even as he'd fallen asleep. Her stomach growled, but she stayed, noticing it was barely three in the afternoon.

 But they weren't going to move from their little place for a long while.

 

\---

 

Ned carried his friends backpack down the school's steps now that the bell had finally rung. He stopped at the sight of a very expensive car, and the billionaire leaning against it.

 His eyebrow raised above his shades when he saw the backpack in his hand. Ned pulled Peter’s phone from his pocket, anxiously approaching the hero.

 "Um...Peter went home. It...it wasn't a good day," Ned summed up lamely, offering the items to the philanthropist. Tony normally hated being handed things but took it nonetheless, sliding the phone in his pocket and stuffing the bag in the front seat.

 "What happened?" He demanded, worried as if to what would make Peter leave so abruptly.

 "Flash kinda brought something up, and Peter kinda just up and left," The teen cowered. Tony took a breath and curtly thanked the kid. He went around to the other side of the car to hop in before asking.

 "What did he say?"

 "That Peter's parents wouldn't be proud of him," Ned said quietly.

 Tony had slammed the door and drove off in a huff, speeding to the Parker residence. He jogged up the steps until he reached the door, using the spare key to open the lock and stepping in. He knocked on the inside door, giving away his presence.

 "In here," May called, and he tentatively let himself in the bedroom, frowning at his protege, tucked protectively under the covers against his aunt's throat. His face was otherwise hidden but what was visible had been left tinged pink with tears.

 "I heard what happened," He spoke softly, pressing against the doorway, unsure if he was allowed to get any closer. May rose up into a criss-cross position and Peter let out a sound in his sleep and snuggled against her hip when he'd been moved.

 Petting his hair, she spoke softly, "He's not going to be okay for a few days, I'll have to call him out of school."

 "I can take him to the compound when you have work," The billionaire offered, stuck staring at the child, never having seen him look so small and...and sad.

 "I'm sure he'd like that," She whispered, the two keeping their tone low, not wanting to disturb the soft hiccuped breaths falling from Peter's lips.

 "Do you know why he...said those things?" Tony asked, genuinely confused as if to why someone would say something so hurtful to someone as precious as Peter.

 "He got a higher test score," She explained blankly, looking down mournfully at the resting boy.

 "I can get him kicked out, Peter wouldn't have to deal with him anymore," The genius added, finally meeting her eyes.

 "I don't think Peter would want that. He'll probably be ridiculed by his classmates after saying that," She explained before tilting her head, "Quite honestly I'm having a hard time seeing that as a bad thing. But Peter would."

 He agreed with her there. Finally moving to sit on the edge of the bed, she tilted her head towards it to bring him forward.

 "I heard you met them once," She spoke after a few minutes of silence. He had, at a convention. They were brilliant, kind. He couldn't see why they wouldn't have been proud to have had Peter.

 "You know she was pregnant then, only a few weeks but I know they admired you. Weren't too big on the weapons, but your other things they lived for, and even Peter knew who you were because they just raved about you so much," She smiled sadly.

 He returned the weary grin, "Sometimes I think about all the times I've crossed paths with the Parkers. You'd think it was destiny for me and Peter to work together."

 She huffed a laugh, "It's odd to think sometimes that we're not related, and the only real Parker left is Peter," the next laugh was sad.

 Tony had honestly been surprised by this, he'd never really sorted the details. Not wanting to intrude on the boy's life too much, he thought they really could be related.

 "I married Richard's brother Ben since I'd been friend's with Mary and I'd never met anyone so kind. He didn't mind I didn't want kids or that I was a little wilder back then."

 "And we'd all been so happy when Peter had been born, he'd always been so small and shy. I remember really meeting him for the first time, and he'd clung to both their legs. Hiding behind Richard’s pant leg because he'd been so afraid," She paused looking down for a few seconds.

 "Then they came to drop him off for the week for a business trip, and we didn't mind. We cleared out the guest bedroom and Peter hid until Ben carried him out to eat and such, and by then the news was on. No survivors and the plane was never coming home. They were never coming home," Wiping away oncoming tears she continued:

 "Ben took action right away, he scooped Peter up and it was such a blur then. I didn't know he was already making preparations to change the guest room in his head. But he looked at me and there was just a silent agreement that we wouldn't be letting him go."

 "I just wish he got to know them better. He looks so much like them, it's like I'm living with my best friends and I miss them so much. Ben was smart but we both knew Peter would be ever the genius just like they were, Mary used to say every day that she could never love anything more than him, and Richard had been ecstatic. He just knew Peter would be the person to help him with what he was building or with really anything he was working on. He talked about all the projects they would do together someday, and when we asked if Peter wasn't interested in that sorta thing, they just smiled. Explaining as long as he was happy they'd be alright."

 He nodded then, hearing her stomach growl. Checking his watch, he frowned at the time.

 "Have you two eaten today?"

 "Me? No. Peter woke up a little late so he grabbed a snack on his way out, I don't know if he ate it though. I had been cleaning before he got here," she explained.

 "You want me to order out? I can get you two something," Tony spoke softly, already pulling out his phone to check nearby food joints.

 "You don't have to do that," She insisted, as he pulled up the Thai food place Peter had been eating for lunch the day that he came by.

 "I want to, he's had a long day. So have you, least I can do is help out," Handing her the phone, she gave a weak smile but took it and put in her orders. Withholding the phone before she could fully give it back.

 "But I get to pick it up," He nodded, standing and watching herself detangle the spiderling who tried to press back into her hip.

 Peter opened his eyes confused, and she leaned over telling him to go back to sleep. She told him she was simply getting them something to eat and that Tony was there to watch him.

 "'ony?" Peter mumbled confusedly, yawning.

 "Hey, kiddo," Tony smirked, waving to May when she motioned she'd be leaving.

 The spiderling curled in on himself, hiding under the blanket.

 "What that Flash kid said was wrong," Tony said suddenly, unable to stop the words from escaping.

 A teary hoarse voice replied and he knew the tears have started anew, "Would they be mad I can't remember them?"

 Scooting closer, Tony placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

 "No, and that's not your fault Peter," He assured, hoping his hand was a nice contrast to Peter's trembling.

 "And...and Flash is right. They...wouldn't,"

 "No," He cut the boy off, "He was wrong. I remembered meeting them and how happy they seemed, and May was telling me about how your mom loved you more than anything in the world. She told you that every single day and your father had things planned for you to do together ever since the day you were born."

 "I know what it's like for your parents to be disappointed in you, and I know for a fact they wouldn't have been. _I'm not_ , May's not. And you shouldn't be either."

 Lifting himself from the covers, Peter moved to hide under the inventor's chin, a silent, "I'm not disappointed in you either," falling from his lips before he thanked the man for being there.

 "I'll always be here kiddo," Tony promised, letting Peter cry into his shoulder until May returned. And the three ate dinner, Peter struggling to decide how to sit close to both of them, to which Tony suggested they sit on the couch. And that's how the three fell asleep.

 Peter's head pillowed to the inventor's chest, while May's head rested on the spiderling’s lap. A forgotten movie dancing across the screen illuminating their sleeping faces.


End file.
